The purpose of some investigations is to explore how different types of social support that are provided by network members impact health. There has been widespread interest in social support. This section provides some examples of instruments used to measure different dimensions of social support.

The most commonly measured dimensions of social support include:

Emotional support
Instrumental support
Informational support

Important considerations include:

Assessing perceived support vs. received support

Deciding which dimensions should be assessed given the sources of support and health topic under investigation (Such decisions can be made based on theory, findings from the research literature, or knowledge of the health topic).

Selecting the most appropriate instrument for a particular population and research question can be difficult. Answering the following questions during the design phase may make the selection process easier:

What supportive functions are relevant for this population?

Should I measure received support as well as perceived support?

How long a measure do I need (number of items)?

Should I use a composite score or separate scale scores?

Should I include measures of unsupportive interactions as well as support?

Should I assess support from specific network members?

Should I measure both availability and satisfaction with support?

Will I need to adapt the measure for a specific population or stressor?